The Delhi High Court has sent a notice to the CBSE, demanding a response to a petition requesting permission for 12th-grade students to use simple and non-programmable calculators during board examinations. Furthermore, the court has sought clarifications from the central government, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), and 'Parakh.'
The bench, comprising acting Chief Justice Nitin Vasudev Sambre and Judge Sanjay Sharma, has given CBSE and other parties eight weeks to present their stance and response. The next hearing in this matter before the Delhi High Court is scheduled for January 2, 2027.
During the hearing, the petitioners' lawyer informed the court that at a governing body meeting in December 2024, the CBSE agreed to allow the use of calculators in the 12th-grade accounting exam. The curriculum committee also approved this initiative in December 2024, but no concrete steps have been taken in this direction since then.
The petitioners argued before the court that due to lengthy and complex calculations, students waste valuable time. If the use of calculators is permitted, students will be able to focus on the core concepts of the subject and their own understanding, instead of spending time on manual calculations.
It should be noted that currently, this facility is provided only to a limited number of special students suffering from dyscalculia (difficulty in understanding mathematical concepts). The petition also includes a demand to expand this circle to assist other categories of students with disabilities according to their needs.